All Posts in "Month: December 2024"

Vaccines can be a lifelong safeguard

As health needs evolve throughout life, it can be easy to forget how crucial vaccinations can be for protection against preventable diseases. Many people associate vaccines with childhood, remembering the series of shots received during early school years. However, vaccination importance extends far beyond children attending elementary school and college students returning to campuses. They should be incorporated into a lifelong commitment to health and wellness.

Whether required or recommended, vaccinations can play a pivotal role in safeguarding individual health and promoting community well-being. According to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), vaccines help create protective antibodies that fight infections. CDC states childhood vaccinations, such as MMR (measles, mumps and rubeola), Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) and HPV, are known to prevent around 4 million global deaths annually. However, only 1 in 5 adults are up to date on their vaccines, highlighting a critical gap in public health awareness and readiness.

Vaccines train immune systems to recognize and combat harmful viruses or bacteria. The immune system’s efficiency can decrease while aging, making older people more susceptible to diseases. That’s why staying current with recommended vaccines is essential, CDC notes.

Community pharmacies and clinics are accessible options for people seeking healthcare outside of traditional settings. These facilities offer a range of high-quality services, including medication counseling, health screenings and immunizations.

This convenience is crucial for routine preventive care, including year-round vaccine administration, which should not be limited to a single season. Vulnerable populations, including those 60 and older, individuals with chronic diseases, and some minority populations are more at risk for contracting certain infections. They may need to update vaccinations and boosters throughout the year.

Unlike some traditional healthcare settings, retail pharmacies and clinics often have extended hours that cater to busy schedules, allowing people to get their families vaccinated with more flexibility. In fact, 90 percent of the U.S. population lives within five miles of a community pharmacy. Options like the Kroger companies’ pharmacies (Kroger.com/vaccinations), The Little Clinic, and other retail pharmacies offer vaccines.

Source: Family Features

LOOKING FOR A SHOT?

In addition to retail pharmacies and clinics, information on vaccinations and where to get them is available from the health departments for Tacoma-Pierce County (tpchd.org, 253-649-1500) and Seattle-King County (kingcounty.gov, 206-296-4774).

The Senior Scene by — December 11, 2024 in Health & Fitness
Making holidays bright, not blue

(Pictured: Giving yourself a break–relaxing with a candy cane, for instance–is a way to deal with any stress during the holiday season.)

During the holiday season, people can feel stressed and overwhelmed by a dizzying array of seasonal demands, including parties, shopping, baking, cleaning, and entertaining. The holidays may also highlight family issues, conflicts, political differences, and loneliness. And then there’s the challenge of excessive eating and financial concerns arising from unreasonable spending on gifts. So how can we enjoy ourselves, our families, and our friends? 

Jeffrey Borenstein, a New York-based psychiatrist and president of the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, outlines practical steps to dial down their stress and anxiety during the season.  

“With a little planning and some positive actions, you can minimize the stress. You may even end up enjoying yourself more than you thought you would,” he said.

Give yourself a break. 

Make time for yourself and try simple activities that make you feel better. Exercise, for example, is a natural antidepressant that can lift your mood by boosting endorphins—natural chemicals in the body. Even a casual walk can be a big help. Find something that clears your mind, slows your breathing, and restores inner calm. 

Learn to say no. 

By saying yes when you should say no, you can feel resentful and overwhelmed. Friends and colleagues will understand if you can’t participate in every project or activity or host a big holiday party at your home. 

Forget perfection. 

Striving for the perfect tree, dinner, decorations, gift wrapping, etc. can be anxiety-provoking. Be kind to yourself by focusing on enjoying time with yourself and others, and less on trying to have a storybook holiday season. 

Be open to change. 

As families change and grow, traditions and rituals often change, as well. Choose a few to hold on to and be open to creating new ones. For example, if your adult children can’t visit, celebrate together in other ways, such as sharing pictures, e-mails or videos.

Set aside family differences. 

Try to accept family members and friends as they are, even if they don’t live up to all your expectations. Set aside grievances until a more appropriate time for discussion. And be understanding if others get upset or distressed when something goes awry. Chances are they’re feeling the effects of holiday stress. 

Acknowledge your feelings. 

If someone close to you has recently died or you can’t be with loved ones, realize that it’s normal to feel sadness and grief. Take time to cry or express your feelings. You can’t force yourself to be happy just because it’s the holiday season. 

Connect with people you trust. 

If you feel lonely, seek out trusted friends or attend community, religious, or other social events that offer support and companionship. Volunteering to help others is another good way to lift your spirits. 

Make a plan. 

Set aside specific days for shopping, baking, visiting friends, and other activities. And make lists to help prevent last-minute scrambling. Ask family or friends ahead of time to help with party preparation and cleanup.

Stick to a budget. 

Decide how much money you can afford to spend. Then stick to your budget. Don’t try to buy happiness with an avalanche of gifts. Try alternatives, like donating to a charity in someone’s name, giving homemade gifts, or starting a family gift exchange. Perhaps you and your family can agree to skip the gifts completely and just enjoy being together.  

Maintain healthy habits. 

The temptation to cope by self-medicating, binge-eating, or excessive drinking coincides with the party spirit of the holidays, which can increase negative feelings. Try not to over-indulge. Alcohol, for example, is a depressant and can increase depression, stress, anxiety, and guilt. Have a healthy snack before parties so you don’t go overboard on sweets or drinks, get plenty of sleep, and drink plenty of water to stay refreshed. 

Make realistic New Year resolutions. 

If you make a resolution, pick something realistic and short-term– a simple goal you can achieve without adding more stress to your life.

Seek professional help if you need it. 

If despite your best efforts you find yourself feeling persistently sad, anxious, irritable and hopeless, unable to sleep or face routine chores, talk to your doctor or a mental health professional. 


Source: Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, a non-profit organization that awards research grants to develop treatments, cures, and prevention for mental illness, including addiction, ADHD, anxiety, autism, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, depression, eating disorders, and PTSD.

The Senior Scene by — December 11, 2024 in News
Social Security benefits going up 2.5 percent in ’25

Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments will increase 2.5 percent in 2025, the Social Security Administration announced.

On average, Social Security retirement benefits will increase by about $50 per month starting in January.

Over the past decade, the COLA (cost of living adjustment) has averaged about 2.6 percent. For 2024, the increase was 3.2 percent.

The next increase affects nearly 68 million Social Security beneficiaries. For 7.5 million people receiving SSI benefits, the increase takes effect Dec. 31. Some people receive both benefits.

COLA’s are calculated based on increases in the Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers as determined by the federal Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In 2025, the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax will increase to $176,100, up from the current $168,600, officials said.

The Social Security Administration will mail letters to people about their new benefit amount starting in December. Officials said the notice has been changed to use plain and personalized language giving dates and dollar amounts of a new benefits and any deductions. The notices can also be viewed online through beneficiaries’ personal accounts.

In recent years, the high-water mark for increases was in 2023, when it was 8.7 percent. The year before that, the increase was 5.9 percent. From 2017 to 2021, the amounts ranged from less than 1 percent to 2.8 percent.

Information about Medicare changes for 2025 will be available at www.medicare.gov.

APPOINTMENTS (OR NOT) AT SOCIAL SECURITY OFFICES

Starting Jan. 6, 2025, appointments will be required for service at Social Security field offices, but with some exceptions. People who can’t handle their business with Social Security online can call a local office or a national line (1-800-772-1213). Officials also said no one will be turned away at offices if they can’t or don’t want to make an appointment and want to just walk in. This includes members of vulnerable populations, military personnel, people with terminal illnesses, and individuals with other situations requiring immediate or specialized attention. Some offices have minimal to no wait times, according to officials.

The Senior Scene by — December 3, 2024 in News
No slowing down for Ukraine relief organizer

(Pictured: Steve Rand hands supplies to a boy on one of the relief missions to war-torn Ukraine by a humanitarian group Rand co-founded.)

Steve Rand comes from a small town in rural New Hampshire, spending his life raising his family, serving the nation in the armed forces, and carrying on the family legacy as third-generation owner of the 100-year-old Rand Hardware store in the center of Plymouth.  

A dedicated Rotary Club leader, Rand’s passion for service to others stands as a defining characteristic of his life. Rather than slowing down as he turned 80 years old on Oct. 17, he has launched into courageous work by entering the war zone of Ukraine 10 times (and counting) to deliver humanitarian supplies and to help fund mental-health counseling to Ukrainian orphans, displaced children, and families. 

Rand and three of his friends co-founded the grassroots, non-profit organization Common Man for Ukraine right after Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Connecting to fellow volunteers on the ground in Ukraine and Poland through their Rotary network, the Common Man for Ukraine members flew to the wartorn country and started with s simple question: How can we help?  

Fast-forward more than two years. Common Man for Ukraine has raised and delivered more than $3.5 million in humanitarian aid. Its relief convoys travel to Ukrainian orphanages, child safe houses, and front-line villages twice each month. Rand has help lead 10 of them. The convoys have delivered more than 2 million pounds of food, 10,000 sleeping bags, hundreds of portable generators, and dozens of tons of additional critical supplies.  

The efforts to help Ukraine’s most vulnerable – the children of war – also extend to their emerging mental-health needs. Common Man funds and helps organize the Children of Ukraine Health Retreat, a monthly residential trauma counseling camp for children whose soldier-fathers were killed or are missing in the war. The retreat is staffed by certified counselors, teachers, and doctors, providing more than 800 children with a three-week respite, group and individual counseling, and a community of peers who understand what they are going through.

At a time in life when many people deservedly slow down, Rand is showing what can be done with enough heart and will, regardless of age.

Anyone wishing to support Common Man for Ukraine can do so at commonmanforukraine.org.  

The Senior Scene by — December 3, 2024 in Food, People